Lions take centre stage as Clubman (finally) enjoys some rugby

WHILE most games in National Two were again postponed due to the effects of the long freeze it was good to be able to travel the short distance to the Houghend Crescent home of Broughton Park on Saturday.

WHILE most games in National Two were again postponed due to the effects of the long freeze it was good to be able to travel the short distance to the Houghend Crescent home of Broughton Park on Saturday.

Their well-grassed pitch was in prime condition following an early morning check-up for the Lions to resume duties in the Bateman BMW Premier League against the home side.

The 43-0 victory, although comprehensive in terms of the scoreline, didn’t reflect the effort that the home side put in and it was the Macclesfield defence that kept them out when several try-scoring opportunities came their way.

The victory moves the Lions into top spot in the table on 46 points with Sedgley Park (43) and Caldy (42) the only other clubs within touching distance.

It is the first time I have visited the new Broughton Park clubhouse and I must say I was impressed with the ground design, pricey electronic scoreboard and finally a pint of beer at just £1.95 (almost Wetherspoon prices but sadly Smooth only available – a minus point in my book).

The game allowed Rob McDermott to get another game under his belt following injury and I was delighted to see young prop Billy Robinson making his return following injury on Humberside back in September. Hopefully he will be seeking a return to the seniors soon.

I was beginning to get withdrawal symptoms since that December 12 trip to Westoe but hopefully things will be back to normal when Broadstreet make their first ever trip to Priory Park for the league encounter on Saturday.

Around National Two North there were just three games on Saturday and the Students moved 12 points clear with a 25-13 victory over Harrogate. Hull maintained their recent progress with a 20-5 victory over Rugby Lions and Broadstreet went down at home to Hull Ionians 16-12. All other games, including our trip to Kendal, were postponed, causing more headaches for the fixture planners.

For your information as I write the new dates for Macclesfield’s postponed games are as follows:

February 6 – Harrogate at Priory Park,

March 20 – Preston Grasshoppers at Lightfoot Green,

May 1 – Hull at Priory Park.

The Kendal game has yet to be re-arranged.

With the Six Nations almost with us and a February 6 encounter with Wales at Twickenham it was interesting to see Martin Johnson’s selections for the initial squads.

The inclusion of former RL players Chris Ashton and Shontayne Hape has perhaps raised a few eyebrows but I will not comment too much at this stage as I also have very much a RL background (albeit many years ago) and I still believe that both codes have much to offer each other